


Once The Moon Comes Down

by caro_crane



Category: Castlevania (Cartoon), 悪魔城ドラキュラ | Castlevania Series
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Boarding School, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Femdom, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Magic School, Rape/Non-con Elements, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-08-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:55:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25814638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caro_crane/pseuds/caro_crane
Summary: Burnt out from her career as a Styrian diplomat, Lenore accepts a job teaching at a secondary school for supernatural and magically-inclined youth. What she doesn’t expect is having to share an office with another new professor - let alone a forgemaster.Or, the AU where Hector and Lenore both teach at a boarding school and are pretending to not be attracted to each other.
Relationships: Alucard | Adrian Tepes | Arikado Genya/Trevor Belmont/Sypha Belnades, Hector/Lenore (Castlevania)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 32





	1. Lenore's Arrival

**Author's Note:**

> A fic idea I've had in my head for some time. Planning on posting some more chapters soon and incorporating the rest of the main characters from the Castlevania Netflix series. Characters are slightly OOC and fit to a modern setting. Thank you for reading!

Lenore stepped off the ferry, wrapping her jacket around her as she felt the cool breeze pass over her. She readjusted her suitcase to her other hand, and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper to read for what felt like the hundredth time today. 

_ Dearest Lenore,  _

_ I hope this letter finds you well. I wish I was contacting you under less urgent circumstances, but one of my professors here at Bramble Academy has fallen gravely ill and cannot continue his teaching duties. With only a month until the semester starts, I find myself without a key member of my teaching staff. I would not ask this of you unless I was entirely desperate - you know this - but I know of no one more informed on history and politics of the supernatural world than you, and I am extending an invitation to come teach alongside me for a year while I search for a more permanent replacement.  _

_ I know you are loath to leave Styria and your diplomatic work there, but I can promise you good pay, excellent accommodations, and the opportunity to shape the minds of our youth. Also, selfishly - I miss you dearly and would love to work and live alongside you once again.  _

_ Write me back with haste your decision - I’ve attached instructions on how to find us.  _

_ Love, _

_ Striga _

Flipping to the second page, she looks at Striga’s meticulous handwriting detailing a location on the western coast of North America, nearly 9,000 kilometers away from her home. Striga had sent her a follow-up note once Lenore had accepted the position, saying that a car would be sent to pick her up upon her arrival in the local city’s port. 

Looking at her watch, she noted she was about twenty minutes early, and sat on a bench to wait. Her stomach fluttered with anticipation - she was used to traveling far distances, but to move somewhere so far was new to her - especially for a job she was unsure about to begin with. But lately, the diplomatic work felt increasingly less fulfilling. The long hours of drafting policy and negotiation in rooms full of old men (and human men, especially) who simultaneously belittled and co-opted her ideas made her pledge to drink only non-human blood...difficult, to say the least. 

The teaching opportunity would, at the very least, be a change of pace. She had no experience teaching in a classroom, but deeply missed being in school. And most of all, she missed being around other magical folk - vampires especially, of course, but just anyone she could be herself around. Her friends of her youth had all gone to different corners of the world for their advanced schooling - some choosing to work within the supernatural realm like Striga, while others like herself focusing on what they called “human” jobs. 

It was only a year, after all. If she despised it, she’d just go home. 

A black car pulled up in front of her, and an extremely tall woman stepped out of the drivers’ seat. 

“Lenore,” she said in an Eastern European accent, her piercing green eyes softening as she walked forward, and embraced her friend. 

“Striga!”, Lenore said as she stood on her tiptoes as Striga’s muscular arms enveloped her. 

“It’s been far too long, sister,” Striga said, taking the smaller vampire’s suitcase and putting it in the car’s trunk. 

“You haven’t aged a day,” Lenore replied cheekily as she slid into the passenger seat. 

It had been approximately three years since the two had seen each other. The last time was at Striga and Morana’s wedding, a week-long bacchanal in Romania that was mostly a blur of orgies and blood drunkenness for Lenore. 

“I’m incredibly grateful to you for taking me up on my offer – the students will love you, I’m sure of it,” she said in a deep voice. 

“I hope so. Truthfully, I’m a little more nervous about how the faculty will receive me. From what you’ve told me, you’re all a rather close-knit group,” Lenore said. 

Striga let out a chuckle. “There’s a lot of strong personalities, but I’m sure you’ll fit in beautifully. They wouldn’t dare be rude to an old friend of mine.” 

She then paused. “There is one slight issue I wanted to tell you about,” she said with a touch of hesitation. Lenore remarked this as odd. She couldn’t recall a time when Striga gave off anything resembling nervousness, let alone around Lenore. 

“Last week, our resident Forgemaster put in his notice abruptly and rather unexpectedly. I luckily found a replacement – a miracle at such short notice, if you ask me – but I haven’t had the time to sort out accommodations. For the time being, you’ll have to share an office with him as we weren’t anticipating needing the space for two new professors. But I suppose you may be comforted to know you aren’t the only new hire this year?” 

Lenore took a few seconds to process what Striga just told her. They taught  _ forgemastering  _ at Bramble? And that Striga was able to find not just one, but a replacement professor to teach the dark craft? Most pressing of all, was she going to have to share an office with the remains of dead animals and demons? 

Striga seemed to read Lenore’s mind, and added: “Don’t worry, He won’t be practicing in your office – it’s conducted in a controlled, outdoor setting at Bramble.” 

With a glimmer of amusement Lenore couldn’t quite place in her eyes, Striga continued. “From my brief encounter with him during the interview, he seems like a courteous sort. I’m certain you won’t have any issues with him.” 

“Interestingly, I actually found him through Carmilla’s recommendation,” she added. 

“Carmilla?” Lenore interjected. “How on earth does she know a forgemaster? I assume he’s human, right?” 

Carmilla was the fourth member of Lenore’s vampiric friend group from her younger days, along with Striga and Morana. Carmilla held a notorious disdain for humans, especially those who practiced the magical arts, making her association with a forgemaster particularly surprising to Lenore. 

“Yes, he’s a human. It’s a long story. Best wait for another time – we’ve just arrived and I expect you’ll be needing some rest before dinner,” Striga said as she pulled on to a long driveway leading up to a massive victorian mansion. 


	2. The Forgemaster's Replacement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Under unusual circumstances, Hector arrives at his new post.

The floorboards creaked as Hector put away his carefully folded garments into the large oak chest of drawers, in a corner of the drafty room he was to call home for the next year. Here he was, in a decaying mansion on the other side of the world from home, preparing to  _ teach children  _ how to summon demons from hell. 

Well, not exactly, of course. From what Striga had described, the role of the forgemaster at Bramble Academy was not to teach the students how to summon the dead, but rather to help them learn the dangers of reanimation and how to properly fight demons. Still, it was an unusual pedagogy, to say the least.

He had been welcomed by another human, to Hector’s displeasure. He had accepted the job out of necessity, but had been looking forward to working alongside vampires again. But as was his luck, a  _ Belmont  _ had picked him up from the ferry. And particularly dim one at that, Hector noted. 

“I certainly was pleased when I heard we had another human coming on staff, what with a new vamp taking on the History and Politics role,” Trevor Belmont chatted as he led Hector up the grand staircase in the middle of the manor. 

“Don’t get me wrong – I love the bloodsuckers. Hell, I’m even screwing a half-vamp. But it’s nice to maintain some equilibrium. Stops ‘em from getting too high minded,” Belmont chuckled. 

Hector pursed his lips. He was endlessly embarrassed by his race – always crassly oversharing. 

“Aren’t you a Belmont? The famous vampire-slaying family?” Hector asked curtly. 

“Well, yes.” Trevor said, taking a more serious tone. “But that’s all in the past. I’m the last of my line, and I’ve made my peace with the vampires. They were keen to hire me as a self-defense and combat teacher, at the very least.” 

“Anyways,” Trevor continued. “Very odd that Isaac just disappeared like that. I mean, he was always a strange bloke, but he really left Striga high and dry. Everyone’s rather shocked she was able to find another forgemaster. You lot aren’t really growing on trees.” 

Hector nodded. He knew Isaac – it was hard not to know others in your field, when that field was demon summoning and animal reanimation. When Hector had heard of Isaac’s departure from the teaching position, it alarmed him slightly. But with the frenzy of packing up his life in less than a week, he hadn’t been able to dwell on it much. 

“You’ll be staying up here – the second door on the right. It’s nothing fancy, but I’m sure you’ll find it plenty comfortable. All the faculty reside on this wing. I’m a few doors down if you need anything,” Trevor said, gesturing at a door with a brass number two affixed to it. 

“We’re having a welcome dinner with all the professors at eight p.m. in the main hall. I’ll see you then – in the meantime, take a nap. You sure look like you could use one,” Trevor said smiling, pressing a key into Hector’s hand. 

Jolting back to the present, Hector looked into the mirror above the set of drawers and noted the dark bags under his eyes. The past few months had not been kind to him. He was far away from Europe now, protected by both vampires and vampire-slayers, but he still felt uneasy. 

Leaving his suitcase half unpacked, he collapsed on to the bed. As reluctant as he was to take a Belmont’s advice, he did need a nap. 

***

A few hours later, Hector awoke to the soft chiming of a clock informing him it was nearing 8 p.m. Not wanting to be late on his first evening, he jumped out of bed, sifting through his belongings to find his formal forgemaster’s outfit. 

Peering into the mirror, he adjusted the freshly shined black armor, twisting a few strands of his striking gray hair so they evenly mirrored his face. It had been a while since he had been in the presence of such esteemed vampires, and he wanted to make a good impression. 

He checked the clock. 7:50 p.m. Lacing up his boots, took a deep breath. He unlatched his door, and headed back down the large staircase to two large oak doors that were propped open. He assumed this was the main hall of which Belmont spoke. 

Inside, three enormous chandeliers illuminated a long table in the center of the room, decorated with autumns’ bounty – vats of soups emanating an enticing smell, apples roasted with cinnamon, and a leg of an animal Hector assumed was venison. Off to the side, a rather large cauldron of blood gurgled. Having spent enough time around vampires, he could tell it was animal blood, not human, by the smell. 

While feeling slightly relieved at this knowledge, a small blond woman appeared next to him. 

“Beautiful, yes? I decorated the table myself,” she said in a musical voice, reaching her hand. 

“I’m Sypha Belnades – professor of sorcery,” she continued. “You must be Hector! We’re so excited to have you here. I believe you met my partner, Trevor earlier? The start of the school year is so wonderful. And to think, we have not one, but  _ two  _ new professors starting.”

Hector shook her hand, his head slightly aching. Why did all the humans here talk _incessantly_? 

“Hector, yes. Nice to meet you. The table does look lovely,” he said diplomatically. 

He looked to his right and saw a vampire who was at least seven feet tall striding toward him in a magnificently blue cape. Her black hair cascaded perfectly along her broad shoulders as she gave him a toothy grin. 

“Ah, Hector. I cannot say how pleased I am to see you here tonight. Let me introduce myself to you officially – I am Striga, head of the academy,” she said in a husky voice. 

Hector gave a slight bow. “Madame, I am at your service. Thank you for the opportunity to teach.” 

Striga laughed. “Please, just call me Striga. Come sit next to me – you and Lenore are my guests of honor tonight,” she said, gesturing at the empty chair to the left of her spot at the head of the table. 

To the right of Striga, another vampire stood, talking animatedly with Trevor. She turned and looked at Striga guiding Hector to the table. 

“Lenore, darling – I want you to meet Hector. He’s the new forgemaster I was telling you about earlier,” Striga said. 

“Ah yes. Hello, Hector,” Lenore said. She extended her pale hand, a small gold ring adorning it. 

As was custom, Hector leaned forward and kissed it. “Pleasure to meet you, Lenore.” 

He heard Trevor give a snort, likely at the old-fashioned gesture. Hector ignored him. Belmont wouldn’t know how to show proper respect to a vampire if his life depended on it. 

Striga clapped, bringing the soft murmur of voices to a quiet. “Come, come everyone. Let’s have a toast.” 

Suddenly, everyone had a glass of champagne or blood, depending on the preference in their hand. 

Striga continued: “To another successful school year educating vampires and magical kin alike.    
May we protect, educate, and serve our students well. And an additional toast to our new professors – Lenore and Hector. Please make them feel welcome into our small family.” 

“Here, here!” said Trevor as everyone raised their glasses and took a drink. As Hector drank the champagne, he noticed Lenore’s striking red eyes looking at him curiously as she took a sip from her red chalice. A slight spot of blood stained her lips as she lowered her drink, and she dabbed at it with her napkin, still staring at Hector. 

Hector looked away, feeling his face flush. He sat down, suddenly deeply interested in the potatoes Sypha was passing him. 


	3. Office Space

The day after the welcome dinner, the manor (which Lenore learned was called Valenbrook, the name given to it by its original resident) came alive with preparations for the school year. 

Striga had given Lenore a few stacks of paper from her predecessor – past syllabi, texts taught, former exams. Lenore sat at her dressing table reading over the notes, curtains drawn to block out the from sun pouring in. The school’s location had been chosen for its year-round cloudiness, but since it was the peak of summer, the vampires at the school couldn’t entirely avoid the rays. 

Putting down the papers, Lenore reached for her hairbrush, combing it through her vivid red hair. Her mind wandered to the prior night. Her new colleagues seemed generally amiable – a noticeable departure from her stiff European diplomat coworkers. 

She kept coming back to one in particular – Hector, the other new professor who was taking over the forgemaster position. She rarely paid much attention to the humans that came and went from her life, but something about him felt oddly magnetic. 

She was used to being attracted to pretty human men, that was normal enough. It was a running joke amongst her vampire friends that she always fell for humans, but she never held any serious interest in them. But Hector felt familiar in a way that was unnerving to her, and for once, her vampiric memory was not providing any clues. 

She sighed, walking over to her closet. She picked out a simple white dress, tied up her hair in a bun, and put on a pair of black sunglasses. She shoved the papers into a tote bag, and headed out with the map of campus Striga had given her. 

All the classrooms and faculty offices were located in the west wing of Valenbrook. She exited her room in the east wing, and headed in the opposite direction. 

While the manor looked impressive on the outside, it felt even larger inside. She strode into the main hall, and saw an entrance that looked like it could lead to a west wing. She walked up a staircase, looking for an office numbered 204. 

She opened the door, and saw that Hector had already begun setting up his space. The forgemaster was sitting, reading a book, when he looked up with a startled expression. 

“What – ?” he said, clearly not expecting her. 

“Hello, Hector. I suppose no one filled you in? Apparently we are sharing an office. Too many last minute changes and Striga couldn’t find us both our own space,” Lenore said, placing down her bag of papers. 

“I suspect that Belmont idiot was supposed to tell me and forgot,” Hector grumbled. “Strange that in a mansion so large, they couldn’t spare an extra office.” 

Lenore laughed at the Belmont comment. She had met Trevor last night, and while he was a strong personality, he did not come off as particularly bright to Lenore. 

“Hm, good point. Maybe Striga thought you needed a chaperone,” Lenore said in a mischievous tone. 

Hector flushed at this comment, and did not reply. Lenore bit the inside of her cheek. She needed to be more careful about her comments – they could actually get her in trouble here, for once. 

“Or me! Maybe she thought I needed a chaperone. I’m clueless around a classroom,” Lenore quickly backtracked. 

“I highly doubt that’s the case, ma’am,” Hector said softly. 

Lenore remarked his generally subservient way of speaking around vampires. She found it unusual, especially from a human so well-versed in magic. The practice was considered rather old fashioned in modern vampire circles. 

“No need to say ma’am, Hector. We’re to be colleagues, after all,” she said matter-of-factly, organizing the papers on her desk into different categories on what needed to be sifted through. She took out her laptop, and sat down.

A strange silence fell over the small office as both professors sat at their desks. Lenore began typing up a syllabus for the first year students – and had only gotten to week two when she noticed Hector hadn’t turned a page of his book in 20 minutes. 

“What are you reading?” she inquired. 

“Oh, uh – Frankenstein, actually. Suppose that’s a bit cliche,” he said sheepishly. 

“Must be a slow read – you’ve been on that page since I came into the room,” Lenore said. 

Hector winced at the observation. “Sorry, I er – it’s been a while since I’ve been around vampires. I seem to have forgotten how to act.” 

Lenore tried to give him an encouraging smile. “I’m not going to eat you. Relax, please. It’s distracting for me if you are frozen all the time.”

The gentle command did seem to relax him, Lenore observed.

“I’m thinking of assigning this to the first years – it’s a reductive interpretation of reanimation, but I think it gives a good understanding of the gravity of bringing back the dead,” he said, opening up a bit more. 

“No demon-conjuring until second year?” Lenore asked playfully. 

“I think Striga would have my neck if I produced a creature from Hell on my first day,” Hector said, smiling. 

* * *

Hector and Lenore had settled into a comfortable silence while working over the next few hours when someone knocked on the door. 

“Morana!” Lenore squealed when she saw the visitor. 

“Hello, dearest,” Morana said, her cold blue eyes warming up at the sight of Lenore. She reached out to her, kissing her on both cheeks, her large gold earrings brushing the sides of Lenore’s face. 

“And you must be Hector,” Morana said, turning to look at him. “Apologies we couldn’t meet at last night’s festivities. I had some important business matters to attend to in the city that couldn’t wait, unfortunately.” 

“Pleasure,” Hector replied, giving Morana the same slight bow he had given Striga the evening prior. 

“I’m making up for my absence by having a little soiree this evening at mine and Striga’s. Nothing fancy. If you need convincing, Hector, Lenore can attest to the caliber of my parties,” she said, grinning at the forgemaster. 

Lenore laughed. “I hardly remember the last one I attended.” 

After catching up for a few more minutes, Morana glided out of the shared office, giving Lenore a wink. 

“So, will I see you tonight?” Lenore asked Hector when they were once again alone. 

“Suppose so. Can’t say I remember much of the last vampire party I attended, either,” he replied with a forced chuckle. 

_ What an odd comment to make,  _ Lenore thought to herself. 

“Have you been to many vampire parties, then?” she asked. 

“Yes.” Hector said, providing no further details. 

Feeling uncharacteristically awkward, Lenore shoved some papers into her bag and prepared herself to leave. 

“Well, I’ll see you tonight then!” she said in an overly cheery voice, ducking out of the office.

Hector just gave a small grunt of acknowledgement in return. 


	4. Bat Out of Hell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was very excited to introduce Alucard. He is my favorite boy (aside from Hector). 
> 
> Hector continues to be edgy.
> 
> CW for the following: drug use (mentioned), drinking, and an unwanted sexual advance between Hector and a minor OC.

Hector knew he should have expected the vampire parties. He was at a school full of them. In general, he enjoyed vampiric company – sought it out, in fact. But the parties were another story. 

Hector was the happiest when he was around animals, or working. Anywhere with quiet, where he could focus and not be distracted by the petty matters of the world. Vampire parties were the opposite of that. 

In his experience, the parties were loud, sloppy affairs full of blood, sex and drugs. And too many humans offering themselves up like freshly killed deer to be fucked and sucked by the vampires. Humans, endlessly embarrassing themselves. 

_ Don’t be a hypocrite, Hector. You’re no better than the rest of them,  _ said a nasty voice from a distant corner of his mind. 

Hector shook his head, as if trying to rid his brain of the echoing thoughts. 

_ Focus, Hector. A bunch of professors, vampires or not, aren’t going to have a blood orgy.  _

Tussling his hair, he observed the dark circles under his eyes. It had been a while since he had a bed to call his own, and he found it difficult to readjust to the comfort. He had grown accustomed to sleeping under the stars, although he would choose the reliable heat and food over a good night’s sleep any day. 

A few minutes later, he was walking across the sloping lawns outside Valenbrook to a smaller, yet still impressive home, where Striga and Morana lived. 

The party was already lively when he arrived. Floating candelabras illuminated the main living area – by the sorceress, he assumed, with the chairs and windows coated with dark navy and dark red velvet, accented with gold. 

“Ah, Hector! So glad you could make it,” Morana exclaimed, strolling up to meet him, a glass of dark red liquid in her hand. 

“Your home is lovely, Morana,” he said, kissing her hand. 

“Pfft, I know it is a stereotype. Vampires love their velvet! But I’ll have you know, the basement is all leather, darling,” she said with a sly grin.

She handed him a glass of champagne, and became distracted by the arrival of some vampires Hector didn’t recognize – presumably locals Striga and Morana were acquainted with. 

“She’s not joking about the leather,” came a soft, drawling voice from behind him. A man with cascading blond hair and impressive cheekbones had appeared beside him. 

“I believe we haven’t officially met. My name is Adrian. I’m the professor of letters and literature,” he said, reaching out to shake Hector’s hand.

“Hector. Forgemaster,” he replied. “Are you – ?” 

“Half vampire, half human,” the newcomer added, anticipating Hector's question. 

“I’d like to hear the story behind that,” Hector said smiling.

Adrian laughed. “The night is too short, and I am too sober for that one.” 

Hector found himself immediately comforted by Adrian’s presence. Here was someone he could relate to in a way he had not encountered before. Sure, Hector was, to his dismay, 100% human. But he had straddled the lines between human and vampire worlds for so long, he may have been a hybrid between the two himself. 

“What’s your impression of the academy so far?” Adrian asked. 

“Well, it’s only been a few days. But the people seem nice enough. A bit more relaxed than I was expecting, considering it's a stodgy boarding school,” Hector replied. 

“Probably because most of us are fucking,” Adrian deadpanned, but Hector noticed his eyes flit toward Sypha and Trevor, who were cuddling on an armchair in the corner of the room. 

“What – you’re the half vampire Trevor mentioned to me!” Hector said with surprise. 

“Classic. Can’t keep his goddamn mouth shut to save his life,” Adrian said, rolling his eyes. “But yes, glad that’s my reputation around the water cooler already.” 

“I can’t say it’s any worse than the types I usually go for. Although, I do question if you have a death wish, considering he’s a Belmont,” Hector jested. 

“Funnily enough, I do have a death wish. Keeps life interesting,” Adrian said in an amused drawl. “But let me guess – your type is a vampire who’d drain you with an inch of your life left – both from your neck and your cock – and you’d thank them.” 

Hector nearly choked on his drink. 

Adrian grinned, clearly getting the reaction he was going for. “What can I say – I’m great at reading people.”

Hector shrugged sheepishly, not knowing how to respond. Adrian was correct, after all. 

“I’m uh...going to take a piss,” Hector said, excusing himself. 

He began walking down the hallway adjacent to the sitting room, when he heard a sultry voice behind him. 

“Well, well, well. Aren’t you a handsome boy?” 

Hector turned around. A vampire – one of the ones that had arrived shortly after he did – had snuck up on him. 

She was tall, with cold grey eyes and green braided hair. She gave him a smile, flashing her fangs as she did. 

“Um, thank you,” he said, a strange feeling passing over him. 

“Striga had mentioned she was hiring a new human professor, but she failed to mention how adorable he would be...but if you ask me, I’d much rather play with my pets then work alongside them,” she scoffed, brushing a sharp nail against Hector’s cheek.

Hector bristled at the comment. “I’m sorry, but I really do have somewhere else to be,” trying to walk away from the vampire.

She twirled around and cornered him against the wall. 

“So soon? Are you sure? My coven and I live down the road. By the time we’re done with you, you won't even be able to remember your own name. Not that I particularly care what it is,” she laughed, her cold eyes hardening. 

“I’d like to remember my name, thank you.” Hector said stiffly. He was about to attempt to escape her again, when she let out a shriek. 

A bat had landed in her green braids, pulling at the hair and sinking its claws into her scalp. She immediately bolted for the door to the backyard, her arms flailing aimlessly at her head, trying to get the animal to stop. 

Hector let out a deep breath, unsure of what the hell just happened. 

A few minutes later, a flushed Lenore appeared at his side. 

“God, I can’t believe Striga and Morana keep that kind of company. I’ll talk to them about this, don’t worry,” she said breathlessly. 

Hector realized what had happened. “Shapeshifting? Interesting,” he said, trying to give off an unbothered air. 

“Hm? Oh, that. Yes. Can’t say I had much need for it as a diplomat, so I’m a bit out of practice. Reckon she’ll at least have a solid headache tomorrow morning...” Lenore trailed off. “Are you quite alright?” she asked, turning her attention back to Hector. 

“Yes, I’m entirely fine. I can defend myself quite well without help from vampires, you know,” he replied in a brusk matter. 

Lenore looked slightly taken aback at his cold tone. He knew he was being too harsh, but he had already shown himself to be too vulnerable. He couldn’t stand being viewed as a regular, defenseless human. 

_ Especially not in front of – _

He didn’t finish his thought. 

“Of course you can. I never meant to suggest – “ Lenore said indignantly. 

“Oh, it’s fine,” Hector said, softening slightly. “Thank you.”

Checking his watch, he determined it was an appropriate time to leave the party without offending any more vampires. He was aching for his bed, to be unconscious from the world.

“I’m going to head home. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Hector said quietly. He grabbed his coat from the chair he had left it on, and retreated into the night. 


	5. The Sea Dissolves So Much

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lenore's confrontation with Striga unearths painful memories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More background on Lenore, featuring vampires having problematic views and some flickers of romance between H&L.

Lenore’s eyes flashed red as she watched Hector leave the party. She pivoted and headed directly toward the parlor. As soon as she saw Striga, she pulled her into the kitchen, where there were less people.

“We need to talk.”

Striga looked confused. Lenore was rarely aggressive, especially toward her friends. She was the sweetheart of the group. 

“Why do you have some rapey vampire supremacists attending your party? I just had to fend one off from Hector, who is YOUR employee and responsibility. How could you be so careless?” Lenore said in a low, intense voice. 

Striga looked confused. “Do you mean the Tobins? They are our neighbors – we have known them for years. They come to all our gatherings. They’re a little old fashioned, but entirely harmless.” 

“I just had to turn into a fucking BAT to get one of their claw’s off Hector,” Lenore said, her raised voice drawing attention from others nearby. 

Striga gave a surprised laugh. “What? You transformed to defend Hector? Darling, don’t you think a forgemaster can fend off unwanted advances without your intervention?”

“Well, he couldn’t! She was trying to get him to come back to their house to make him into their plaything. I overheard their whole conversation – it was disgusting the way she spoke to him,” Lenore said, growing more visibly annoyed. 

Striga scoffed. “Oh, you’re one to talk. Do you recall when we were all in Styria together? Every weekend, every party – another human boy trailing along at your side, to be discarded the next day. Your pets, as you called them?”

Lenore flushed.  _ I didn’t corner them and make them have sex with me,  _ she thought. But a twinge of shame filled her at hearing Striga’s words. 

She did call them her pets. Whether they knew she was a vampire or not, men would fall at her feet to be with her. She took advantage of that, to make them bend to her will. Most of the time, she would use them for sex or for blood. Usually both. 

But fucking other vampires was so  _ boring _ to Lenore. At the very least, humans were always changing. And she liked the endless compliments. Vampires were harder to impress.  _ And control. _

On the other hand, humans never interested her beyond the temporary. How could she form to them attachments when she knew would never age? 

But it had been years since she’d so much as kissed another being, human or otherwise. Not since what happened after Striga and Morana’s wedding. 

Lenore would never admit this to her friends, but after the wedding festivities had ended, she was miserable. Once again, she was alone in Styria, her friends having moved on in their relationships and lives. But Styria was all she had, in the end. She had no romance, no memories of a life before she was a vampire – all she had was her career. So she stayed. 

In general, she managed. But after the wedding – a reminder of what her life used to be full of – she was a wreck. 

To fill the void, she hunted down men, and then fucked them. And then drained them just enough to satiate her, but never enough to kill them. 

The pattern continued for weeks. She was overfed – causing her to lapse in memory and judgement. Until one day she woke up, and realized she was on top of a corpse. She had finally gone too far. 

She had been so horrified by the experience – groggily dragging a body to the woods, burning it, burying the ashes deep – and sobering up to realize what she had done – that she swore off sex and human blood. 

“I’m not like that anymore. How would you know, when you haven't even seen me in three years? You all just  _ left  _ me.” Lenore said, tears springing to her blood red eyes at the painful memory. 

“Lenore, you know that’s not fair, “ Striga protested. But Lenore couldn’t listen anymore, and ran out of the party. 

*** 

The night air immediately calmed Lenore as she stepped outside. 

_ You’re not that person anymore. You are in control,  _ she repeated to herself. 

She wasn’t ready to go inside yet – not on such a beautiful night. 

Bramble Academy sat perched on the side of a cliff that dropped down into the Pacific. It left the grounds perpetually covered with a misty haze. She walked toward the cliffside, lost in thought. 

In retrospect, perhaps she had overreacted to Striga’s comments. She wasn’t  _ wrong  _ after all. And Hector didn’t  _ actually _ ever say he needed help. 

Suddenly, she felt the ground give way under her. With all the fog, she didn’t notice where she was going and tripped over a large stick. 

“Fuck!” she yelled. As she fell, she felt two hands steadying her before she completely ate shit. 

“Leaving the party early as well, I see?” Hector said as he helped her regain her balance. 

“Hmpfh,” Lenore grunted, looking angrily at the offending stick. “You’d think we’d be able to keep the lawns free of tripping hazards, considering magic people work here.” 

Hector gave a small grin. “I take it that talking to Striga about my honor being jeopardized didn’t go well then?” 

_ Was Hector joking with her? Flirting? God, he was impossible to read.  _

“Pfft. What honor?” she said, smiling back. “But in seriousness, it was humbling, to say the least. Brought up some...unpleasant memories,” Lenore sighed. 

“Guess that makes two of us. I’d say we’re even now, considering I saved you from ending up in the mud, and you saved me a few pints of blood” Hector continued. 

“Ah yes, a true gentleman,” Lenore laughed. 

“May I escort you back to Valenbrook, my lady,” Hector said, taking on a silly, overly formal tone, offering his arm. 

“Certainly, Forgemaster,” she replied. 

The two walked back to the manor, to the faculty quarters. When they reached her door, she turned around and faced Hector. 

“Well, this was an interesting evening to say the least,” she said. 

“Truly. Can you believe the kids arrive in two days?” he asked. 

Lenore let out a sound of disbelief. “Hardly. I feel so unprepared.” 

“If you’d like – I’d be happy to run through lesson plans with you, so we can both get some practice in before we’re in front of a bunch of ruthless teens?” Hector offered. 

“Oh!” she said, surprised.  _ Why was he being so nice to her?  _ “Uh, sure. That sounds great.”

“Excellent,” he said, smiling. “I’ll see you at our office tomorrow, then?” 

He looked as if he was about to ask something else, a strange look on his face. Lenore rushed to cut him off. 

“Okay, yep, sounds great! See you tomorrow!,” she said, quickly opening her door and shutting it behind her. Leaning against her door, eyes squeezed shut, she could hear his rapid heartbeat pounding in her ears. 


End file.
